Too hot to help or too cold to care? On the links between ambient temperature, volunteerism, and civic engagement

Br J Psychol. 2023 Nov;114(4):945-968. doi: 10.1111/bjop.12669. Epub 2023 Jun 13.

Abstract

We investigated the relationship between ambient temperature and prosocial behaviour in real-life settings. It was guided by two mechanisms of opposite predictions, namely (1) higher temperatures decrease prosociality by harming well-being, and (2) higher temperatures increase prosociality by promoting the embodied cognition of social warmth. In Study 1, U.S. state-level time-series data (2002-2015) supported the first mechanism, with higher temperatures predicting lower volunteer rates through lower well-being. Study 2 furthered the investigation by probing the relationship between neighbourhood temperature and civic engagement of 2268 U.S. citizens. The data partially supported the well-being mechanism and reported findings contradictory to the social embodiment mechanism. Higher temperatures predicted lower interpersonal trust and subsequently lower civic engagement. The unexpected finding hinted at a cognitive effect of heat and a compensatory mechanism in social thermoregulation. We discussed the findings regarding their methodological strengths and weaknesses, with cautions made on ecological fallacies and alternative models.

Keywords: ambient temperature; civic engagement; interpersonal trust; volunteerism; well-being.

MeSH terms

  • Altruism*
  • Humans
  • Temperature
  • Volunteers* / psychology